Promises Broken

" I'll be back the day after tomorrow, if all goes well." Said Edward solemnly.

" What do you mean 'if all goes well'?" Bella said slightly alarmed.

" All I meant is that it might take a bit longer if I have to ambush them. You know, planning and all that." He said in a reassuring tone.

" O.k." agreed Bella quietly. She buried her face in his chest as they twirled around in time with the music. After the ball was over, he walked her to their room, she asked him,

" Will you be sleeping her or in the stables again?" he grinned at her question.

" I'll be here, don't worry." They continued walking until they reached the door. He followed her in and sat on his bed. She went into the bathroom to change out of her clothes. When she came out Edward was in his nightclothes. She sat on her bed across from him.

" I hope you'll be safe when you go Edward. You do remember the promise you made me when we were children, right?" She asked shyly.

" You mean my promise not to take unnecessary risks and be safe so we can play together when I get back? Of course, but I thought it related only to going to the dentist." He remembered with a light laugh. She smiled and nodded. Edward smiled back and sighed.

" I promise to do so." He swore, "For you." She blushed and he smiled warmly at her. He felt a feeling of affection flood through him when she did so. She yawned.

" You should go to sleep. We have all of tomorrow to catch up and talk." He said with authority, his eyes smoldering. He rose and blew out the lanterns. He walked back towards his bed, but as Bella drifted off, she felt someone kiss her lightly on the forehead and her eyelids. Edward walked back to his bed and lay down. In the morning Bella woke up and found the bed next to hers empty. She sat up quickly and looked around. She heard him laughing and turned towards the sound. She found him sitting on the window seat, reading a book.

" Your hair looks wonderful. Good morning." He smirked at her. She stood up abruptly, stumbling over her nightgown. Edward caught her before she hit the ground, his smirk becoming even more pronounced. When he touched her, her heartbeat sped up. She blushed deep red and Edward laughed. Bella stood up, trying to regain what dignity she had. She saw that he had already washed and dressed.

" I'll be out in a moment." She said grabbing her washing things and hurrying to the bathroom. She took her time in the bathroom under the hot water of the fountain. She came out fully in a tunic and trousers. Edward was still reading when she walked in. He looked over the top of his book when he heard her approaching.

" You look ready to go on an adventure! Just what you needed actually. Lets go!" Edward said with so much enthusiasm it was impossible to turn him down. She followed him into the forest.

" I'm going to show you a special place I like to go when I don't have anything to do. " Edward pulled her by the hand into a small out cropping of stone in the shade of a cliff. Edward had built a small hut like thing on the rock. Bella looked at the little hut in awe. It was very well built out of twigs and leaves.

" You like it?" Edward asked her.

" Wow! It must have taken a while to build it. Did you make it all by yourself?"

" No. Actually Jasper and Alice helped me build it." Edward said matter-of-factly. He opened the curtain made of leaves and brushed some leaves off of the benches carved out of logs. He beckoned Bella to come sit down on one of the benches. She sat across from him. She continued to look around the small room.

" So you wanted to say something to me, right?" Edward guessed.

" Yes, I do. I just wanted to tell you that I don't hate you. Even though I said that I did. I'm really sorry Edward. Just be careful tomorrow, for me." She pleaded. Edward put his hand on her cheek. He caressed it gently.

" I know you don't hate me. I promise that I will be very careful tomorrow. Jasper will be with me." Edward said quietly. " You don't need to say that you're sorry. It was really all my fault. It was terrible of me to behave so intolerably." Edward continued to caress her face.

" Bella, I wanted to ask you something, but I don't know how to say it." He said, lost in thought.

" Just say it straight and quickly. Then it won't seem so bad. I have experience with that sort of thing." She said. He looked her in the eyes and said something that Bella hadn't expected.

" I love you Bella." She thought he was joking at first, but the serious look in his eyes never faltered.

" W-what?" she stuttered.

" I love you. I have always loved you and I always will. Bella." He said her name because she had looked away. "Bella, what's wrong?" He asked because Bella had started crying.

" I-I don't understand," she sobbed.

" What is it you don't understand?" Edward said, incredulous.

" Why d-do you love m-me?" she clarified. A look of hurt crossed Edward's face.

" Who else an I supposed to love? Look at me! Who?" Said Edward, a hint of anger in his voice.

" Anyone else! You deserve any one better than me! I'm not worth it!" she wailed.

" Why do you think that?" he demanded. There was definitely anger in his voice now.

" Because I-I love y-you!" she yelled. " I love you!!"

" Then why don't you understand?" he yelled in exasperation. "WHY?"

" I ALREADY TOLD YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" she was so upset she had stood up without knowing she had.

"Will you please calm down? I want to ask you something. Marry me." Said Edward quietly

" Hunh?" she said, distracted from her yelling by his sudden change in tone.

" I said marry me. When I come back will you marry me?" Edward clarified. " I got you to admit that you loved me too, so now I am asking you to marry me." He said, emphasizing every syllable.

" So what do you say?" demanded Edward urgently.

" Yes" she said, very quietly. "Yes"

Edward moved towards her and kissed her full on the mouth. She did not protest. She moved into the kiss with enthusiasm. Her lips parted, and she twined her hands in his hair. He pulled her closer and grasped her back. Suddenly the curtains opened up and Jasper walked in.

" Oh! Sorry!" Jasper blushed a blush that would rival only Bella's own. He turned and ran out. Edward was grinning while Bella blushed.

" Thank you." Said Bella fervently. While trying to regain her breath Edward smiled again.

" That was interesting." They looked at each other shyly. Edward beckoned her to sit near him. He held her like that for what seemed like hours. When it was dark and Bella had fallen asleep, Edward picked her up and carried her to their room. He lay her on her bed and lay on his own. He watched her sleep and felt sad all of a sudden. He had just asked her to give him her heart and he would end up breaking it. He knew he might not come back. He should have left her alone, he knew, but he loved her beyond reason. Yes which was why he should have stopped instead of turning it into something serious and end it by hurting her. He was sure there was a chance that he would not come back, because… he was going to fight the Vampires.

Bella woke up in the morning and looked over at Edward's bed. She knew that he wasn't going to be there. Earlier that morning she had felt his soft lips touch her forehead in farewell. She sat there for a moment trying to remember what had happened yesterday. She smiled at these memories. She woke abruptly from her dream world when the door opened and closed. Alice was standing there looking flustered. She smiled warmly at Bella. The smile slowly faded when she saw that Bella was still in bed.

" Bella! How can you just sit there? Get up, get up! The queen gave me the day off today so I could help you with the preparations! Edward told me you said yes! He was sooooooo happy!" Bella looked at Alice with unconcealed unhappiness. She knew how Alice could get carried away with this sort of thing.

" Alice. Wait until Edward gets back, please. I would like to remember these few days as a bachelorette I have left as a happy time, not a time spent shopping."

" But Bella! A happy time is a time spent shopping!! Any other moment is wasted!" Alice pleaded with her.

" Alice, can't we just hang out?" Bella knew that after shopping, spending time with her was Alice's favorite pastime. Anything but shopping, she thought.

" Fine Bella, ruin my fun. What do want to do now?" Alice inquired.

" Lets talk." Bella suggested, not really listening.

" How was the ball? I went with Jasper. He's so sweet! Such a gentleman. Not very talkative though. How was Edward? Was he nice to you? Is he a good dancer?" Alice asked in one breath.

" Edward was wonderful. He was very nice to me actually, and he is a very nice dancer too." The rest of the day passed very much in this fashion. Alice would talk nonstop and Bella would put in the occasional comment on something. That night after Alice had left, leaving Bella in hysterics laughing at what Emmett had said to Rosalie after the ball, Bella curled up on her bed. She felt lonely and cold without Edward. She soon fell into a restless sleep. She woke up exhausted. She had dreamt of dark things surrounding Edward who was trying to fight back but was failing. She was outside when it happened. She was talking about Jasper with Alice when they came through.

They were seated near the first few trees of the forest when they heard the clanking armor running through the forest. They heard someone screaming and wailing a few minutes later. Then a young knight came towards them.

" Miss Swan. We need you here." He walked off. Bella got up and signaled to Alice to follow her. They walked there, and as they carried the stretcher out of the woods, she saw who it was.

" Edward! No! Edward! NO! NO! NO!" she screamed. He was lying there motionless and pale. His head rolled slightly to the side and she saw the gash on his throat was bleeding copiously, bright red against his pale skin. He opened his eyes slightly and croaked out,

" Bella, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and fell unconscious. Bella stood there in shock her eyes pouring tears down her face. There seemed to be a bundle of cloth on the ground on the other side of where the stretcher used to be. She moved closer and saw that it was shaking. She bent down and touched it. The Queen lifted up her face, and Bella realized that she was shaking with sobs and there were tears pouring down her face also. A thought then occurred to her.

" Where's Jasper?" she asked the queen. Renèe just sat there shaking her head and sobbing.

" Please tell me. Where is Jasper?" she asked again.

" My baby, my sweet baby. My son." She cried, saying this again and again. Bella beckoned the young knight, Ben, with whom she had spoken to earlier and told him to take the queen to her chamber.

When he came back he told her the whole story.

" We were scouting the forest borders on the other side, Tyler and I. Jasper went with Edward. We saw nothing but heard Edward shout out. Then Jasper drew his word just as we arrived. They were there. Looking at us. Edward was down. The Vampire that had dealt with him stood up ready to take us all out. There was a female and a male. They moved so fast they were nothing but blurs. Anyway the male left Edward on the ground, bleeding. The female took Jasper's sword, and before we knew what was happening, she stabbed Jasper in the chest. The last things we heard him say were ' Get out now!' We grabbed Edward and took off. We couldn't get to Jasper because the female was standing over him. We don't know what they did with him. We know that he was still alive because while we were running, he gave out this scream that had us running all the faster."

Ben looked terrified just remembering that happening. Poor Jasper, she thought. Then she remembered the last time she had seen Jasper was when he has burst in on her and Edward kissing. He had blushed, she remembered, he looked so sweet and innocent. Then she thought of how the vampires had hurt him. Revulsion rose in her like vomit. What a terrible way to die, she thought fresh tears pouring down her face. Jasper had always been decent and kind to her, even a friend. They sparred together and talked and walked when Edward hadn't been speaking to her. She felt sorry for his mother. How she would miss him. How Edward would miss him. Edward! She remembered. How could she have forgotten? She jumped up and ran to the castle.

In the infirmary, Edward was in terrible pain. He had fire running through his veins. He had screamed to the nurses to put out the fire, but there was nothing that they could do. Bella entered the room. Edward was covered in wounds on his chest and his arms and face. But the wound that frightened Bella was the one on his neck.

If what Ben had told her accurate, then the vampire had bitten Edward and left him. He started thrashing. Screaming. Swearing at the top of his voice. She put her hand on his forehead to calm him but he continued to thrash about. She stayed with him like this for three days. On the third night he woke suddenly. She put her hand on his and pulled it back quickly. It was deathly cold. That was not the only thing that was odd about him. All of his wounds had healed cleanly and without scars, even the more fatal looking ones. His skin was pale enough that it seemed to glow in the dark. It was also harder than she remembered it being. It was like touching cold marble. The oddest thing was that when he turned towards her, his eyes were a deep burgundy color. It was sinister. He smiled at her, his teeth a bright white and perfectly straight. Another thing she noticed was that he seemed to look even more handsome than before. She knew in that instant what he had become. He was a Vampire.

Edward felt brand-new. He was glad to see that he was still alive after the pain that he had endured for the past… far too long. He smiled at Bella, whom he saw sitting next to him. She touched his hand, but pulled it back rapidly. His smile faded.

"What's wrong Bella?" He noticed she was looking at him, as she was afraid of him. He looked down at his body. His many wounds had healed and he was pale as death. Now he was afraid. He got up and looked around for a mirror. He found a washbasin near the door. His face looked different, even to him. His eyes had changed color. He turned to Bella. When he turned there was a loud crack. He realized that he had cracked the table holding the basin in two, merely by touching it. He turned to find Bella, but she was already running out the door. He let out a roar that was not his voice. He ran after Bella. He saw how fast things were passing him by and pushed himself to go even faster. He ended up at their chamber. He opened the door and saw her cowering on her bed against her headboard. She moved away keeping her eyes on him the whole time. A look of hurt crossed Edward's face when he saw her moving away from him. He took a step towards her. And another. He held up his hands so as to show her that he meant her no harm. He noticed the scent coming from her direction. It smelled rather floral. Edward could feel a liquid starting to fill up his mouth that was not saliva. He felt himself shift into a crouch. A wild growl escaped, and his upper lip curled back to reveal his shining white teeth. His eyes were bright with excitement. She picked up the poker form the fireplace and brandished it at him. He pounced. She screamed.

Alice was walking near the forest, thinking about her Jasper disappearing without a trace. She thought she saw a white spot moving in the forest. It's just an animal; she thought and continued to think of him, and how much she loved him. She heard rustling leaves and looked up. Smiling at her and walking through the trees was her beloved Jasper. She leapt into his waiting arms. She felt how cold and hard he was through his tunic, but she didn't care he was back and that was all that mattered. She kissed him and he kissed her back. His lips were icy against her warm ones. He kissed he nose, her lips, her chin, and stopped at her throat. He lingered there because the scent was strongest and sweetest. He kissed her there. He felt his mouth watering. He bared his teeth. He bent down and kissed her again on the spot where he would do it. Jasper lifted his head and smiled, showing his pearly white teeth. Then he bent down and bit her. She gasped as she felt the pain. The blood was running down her throat. He bent to drink. After a while she gasped,

" Jasper!" Then fell unconscious. Jasper woke out of his blood lust. Her voice, pleading had reminded him of who she was. He felt fear then revulsion in himself.

" I'm so sorry Alice." He said, and he bit her again letting the venom spread. He looked around making sure no one was watching, and took her with him into forest.

While Edward flew through the air, he pushed the poker out of her grasp. He landed in front of her. Tears were pouring down her face. Edward smelled an easy victory. He put his hands on both sides of head on the wall. He leaned forward. There was no way for her to escape. He cocked his head to one side like a curious puppy. As if he was wondering what would happen if he proceeded. He bent toward her throat and kissed it. He looked back at her eyes to see what was in them. Edward saw fear in her eyes but also love. He suddenly remembered that the love was for him. He finally snapped out of it. He stepped back, cautious. He didn't want o frighten her any more because he remembered that he loved her too. She took a step towards him with one hand held out as if to touch him. A hissing noise erupted from his throat. She stepped back. He turned and ran out. Into the forest. He could hear her calling his name.

His thirst was so strong that he came upon a herd of sheep and drank at least fifteen, if not more. He went and sat near a pond. He looked around and saw his reflection in the water. He felt a fury that was not his own take control of him. He kicked at his reflection, sending water splashing everywhere. He saw the little hut in which he had proposed to Bella. On top he noticed the cliff and felt as if that were the solution.

" I know what you're feeling Edward, and I don't think suicide is the best idea. Anyway, it won't work I've tried it. When I was a young new vampire I hated myself. I tried to destroy myself. It's not in your best interest either. For you or Bella." At the last few words Edward turned to see who was talking. At first when he saw the blond hair, he thought it was Jasper, but he saw that the face underneath was different. Edward felt something in his mind nagging him. He pushed it aside. It became a humming noise in the back of his mind. He let it take him in. He was in his body but he wasn't completely.

" Edward, you don't need to be afraid. There is another solution to this problem and you seem to have found it already."

"Uh, where am I? And who are you?" Edward asked.

"I am Carlisle, and I'm here to help you."

" Can all vampires do this mind talking thing?"

"No, only you as far as I know…and I think it is more of you mind reading than talking. I'm answering you in my thoughts. And if you don't mind, I would like to continue this outside."

Edward closed his mind and was no longer connected to Carlisle. He looked at Carlisle and thought he knew him from somewhere.

" Do I know you?" Carlisle smiled sadly.

" When you and your friend came into the forest we were hunting, my wife and I. She was feeling terrible after stabbing your friend. She had injured you and was about to kill you when your other friends burst in. Your other friend, the blond one, drew his sword and she was using her instincts instead of her head and very nearly killed him. I was forced to bite both of you of let you die. I did what I thought would help you. I tried…" Carlisle trailed off a bit of pleading in his voice. Edward felt sympathetic for the man but then again… because of him, the only person he had ever loved this much was afraid of him.

" When I was in your head, you said something about a solution to my problem. Could you tell me what it is?" Edward asked urgently. The sooner he knew, the sooner he could be with Bella again.

" I thought you already knew what it was when I found you feeding on the sheep. Our alternative is t drink animal blood instead of human blood. It's easier to blend in like that. I found your other friend a few days ago—" Carlisle was cut off by Edward saying,

" A few days! I haven't been sitting here for a few days, have I?" Edward was baffled. Had he sat there like a stone for days?

" You have actually. You need to hunt before seeing Bella again. I was saying that I saw your other friend near that hut and he has brought someone with him. She also is a new vampire. She had black hair and was very small." Carlisle waved at Edward, and then disappeared. Edward got up and ran towards where Carlisle had said Jasper was with, well someone. He ran in and saw Alice sitting on one of the benches next to Jasper who was talking to her quietly. Both looked up as Edward entered. As they looked at him he saw that their eyes were burgundy. When he had looked at his reflection in the pond he had noticed that his eyes had turned a light butterscotch color. Jasper and Alice both looked as puzzled as he had he told them about Carlisle and what had happened in the forest and the solution.

Jasper looked weary but really he was just weak form not feeding.

" Edward if we go back I think they might notice that our eyes have changed from blue or brown or green to topaz. That won't reassure anyone. They'll just be even more frightened." Alice disagreed.

" Jasper we could give it a try and see. If any one notices we can just come back here." Edward nodded hoping his friend would agree.

" Fine." Jasper said wearily, then he muttered something under his breath. With their improved hearing both Edward and Alice heard what he said.

" Nice" said Edward. " We don't enjoy risking our lives unnecessarily."

" That's not what I said exactly, but close enough. If you kill Bella, then you could hide it and say that she went to live with her aunt in another town, or something like that. If I kill my mother people are going to notice." Jasper said as if stating the obvious. Edward knew this was true and could see no way around it.

"At least try the solution then you can complain." Reasoned Edward who then decided to pull the guilt trip. " Your mother will die of grief if you don't come back, even a changed man."

"Changed is the nice way to say things, actually. Metamorphosed into some kind of a monster, more like." But Jasper agreed anyway. He knew Edward was right, his mother needed him and Rose wouldn't be much help either. They all rose simultaneously.